171 2.1.22: Sneaking Out III

When she bumped into the hard wall, she fell back on the ground. Frowning, she looked up and saw a tall figure, wearing a black cloak. The figure was hidden, but it still gave Xiao Yunhua chills. She hadn't met someone in this world that frightened her this much, not even when she found out that the Duchess was trying to murder the seven year old Evelyn.

She didn't see his face, but from their barely discernible figure, she was sure it was a man. Possibly a handsome man, but no matter how much she squinted her eyes, she couldn't see him. Easily by his aura, she deemed him as the most dangerous person she had met in this world, possibly a hidden boss. But how would a big boss be here in the GKY's capital? He was probably a noble and she was most likely overthinking it.

"Excuse you." She muttered underneath her breath, slightly annoyed but still scared. She felt shivers when his eyes shifted in her direction. She finally saw one of his features: black eyes. His eyes were pitch dark and seemed to care numerous secrets as they stared at her. They looked at her like she was a nuisance, a pesky bug in his way.

He had probably heard her, but chose to ignore her when he spoke. "How much for the ring?" His voice was deep and soothing to the ears, indicating that he was possibly in his early twenties. When the stunned merchant heard him, he smiled greedily and showcased the ring again, speaking of its merits.

Naming a price, the man ushered for his servant behind him to pay when she yelled out, "No!" All three pairs of eyes looked in her direction and she felt like her cheeks flushed. "Please don't buy that ring." Even to herself, the request was ridiculous, nonetheless the man that was buying it.

"And why would that be?" He asked, his cold voice tinged with a bit of humor. Sweat dropped the side of her forehead and she mumbled that she wanted it softly. Pretending like he hadn't heard her, he said, "What was that?" She mumbled louder but he still chose to ignore her until she snapped.

"Because I want to buy it!" He silently looked at her, as did the merchant and his servant. Xiao Yunhua had never felt so childish in this world, but she needed that ring!

"Hmm, I overheard that you couldn't afford it a few minutes ago. Isn't it only fair for me to buy it since I can afford it?" She sighed in exasperation. She was being so unreasonable and he, in the point of view of a customer, was right.

"I can afford it, I just don't have money with me right now." She stood up, now realizing that she was still on the ground, and brushed off the dirt. Her dress was shabby, but with the dirt, it looked like she was a beggar. Her messy braid flung behind her and the man eyed her fully, seeing that she wasn't as young as he thought. She was still young, but no older than fifteen years old.

The man chuckled, but it brought chills to her and the merchant that was holding the ring with shaking hands. They could all see the power that seeped from the man, subconsciously realizing that they couldn't afford to offend him. "Well, good thing I can afford it and I do have the money right now." Turning away from her, he ignored her and his servant brought out the money.

Once the merchant got his hands on the money, he smiled pleasantly and shot a scowl in her direction, using his hand to shoo her away. The man and his servant turned away and slowly began to leave, so she could only do the logical thing—or what she thought was the logical thing at that time—follow them.

"Stop!" She called out, but the man kept walking. With his long steps, he seemed to be farther and farther away. She pushed her away around the large crowd of people but in the end, couldn't catch up to him because he had already disappeared from her line of vision. She turned around, dejectedly, only to bump into something again. Or someone again. By her luck, it was the man, but he had his arms crossed and his black cloak concealed his face like before.

"Little girl, why are you following me?" His words were still amused, but she could detect the danger that loomed behind them. It seemed like she had gotten herself tangled up with someone she couldn't afford to tangle herself with.

"The r-ring..." she stuttered, not daring to look up. She really wanted that ring. The servant behind the man opened his mouth to scold her, but the man raised his hand and stopped him. He quietly said something to the servant, so quiet that not even her enhanced senses could listen to what he said. Unwilling, the servant shot her a glare and brought out the ring. Like his master, he wore a cloak so she couldn't see his features, but she could still sense the resentment. The ring was placed in the hands of his master, who had the small box in his hand. Extending it out, she eagerly went to grab it but he took his hand away.

"If I were to give you this ring of which you are so fond of, what would I get in return?" Of course, Xiao Yunhua wanted to roll her eyes for thinking that she would get something so easily. He wanted something in return, but she currently had nothing with her.

"I-I can't give you anything right now, but I can owe you a favor." This was the best thing she could offer. However, how could someone with such a powerful aura merely take her words for it, especially when she dressed like such a commoner?

"Your favors mean nothing when I don't even know who you are." That was fair and she had nothing to refute.

"Then what do you want?" She had to get that ring. Whether knowing the possibility that it would save her, or even the magnetic pull she felt from the system to the special item, she wanted to get her hands on that ring.

"First, your name." Before she could utter a name, he added, "Your real name or else the favor would be useless." She sighed. She looked at him, recognizing the expensive material of his cloak, meaning he was probably one with great authority. So, there was a possibility that he would see her in one of those parties that she was always invited to. It was better for him to know now than to recognize her later and call her a liar in front of high society.

"Violetta Charlotte Warrington." So much for wanting to be discreet about this trip... If he came knocking on the Warrington mansion's doors, she would be exposed easily! She closed her eyes, expecting him to be shocked but he didn't even react. Confused, she peeked at him, only to see him turned around to his servant.

They discussed something briefly and quietly and he finally nodded, turning back to her. "Miss Warrington is of the dukedom of Warrington. I seemed to have stumbled upon a treasure today!" More like someone you can easily loot! But she didn't say that and nodded. He believed her because no one, not even the peasants, dared to say they were from such a high nobility, meaning her words were true.

"So now you know that I owe you a favor as the only daughter from the Warrington Household."

Hearing her words, he chuckled. "Oh? I didn't know that Miss Warrington was actually Miss Vivienne. How careless of you to forgot to mention your true name." When he uttered the name Vivienne, she paled. She had easily said she was the only daughter, but this man knew about the real daughter! But it had been years, why wouldn't he know about her death? Or at least her illegitimate status. Seeing her clench her dress tightly, not knowing what to say, the man shook his head laughing. "Miss Warrington, I do apologize. It seems like my little joke was carried too far." She sighed softly. He was just joking.

Xiao Yunhua raised her head and looked at him, "Now that you know who I am, my words still stand. I owe you a favor, now please give me the ring."

The man held the little box containing the ring with a newfound interest. "For the miss of the Warrington dukedom to hold such regards for a foreign piece of jewelry, I wonder if you're lying to me?"

She clenched her fists. This man was teasing her too much at this point! Jokes and his dangerous aura aside, she was starting to get annoyed. With a forced smile she said, "It's just caught my interest. I'm sure such a valueless ring isn't fit to be of your interest, but I've always been interested in foreign objects." That was a lie, but he didn't need to know.

The man was going to say something but his servant behind him nudged him, indicating something that she couldn't understand. "Hmm...Alright, the ring is yours." She was relieved and raised her hand to grab the ring from his hands. The moment that their hands touched, there was a sharp sting and she quickly pulled her hand back, the pain hurting her.

Her blue eyes turned to him in anger, wanting to see what he did, but she was surprised to see him stunned. He had completely frozen until his servant murmured, "My Lord?" The man's dark eyes scanned her with a glint in his eyes that she couldn't understand. What she did understand is that the pressure around him intensified, almost making her suffocate. She turned around and ran off, her short figure disappearing among the numerous people.

"My Lord, are you alright?" The servant asked with worry. His lord hadn't been this tense for a long time, so he wondered what happened once he touched the hand of the little girl.

"Investigate her. Immediately."

"My Lord, I don't understand... she's just a normal girl. Weren't you going to forget the favor anyways?" The servant knew that the man was going to forget the favor as soon as they returned back. He had just wanted to tease the girl, hence being serious over a harmless ring. Speaking of the ring, the servant knew that his lord hadn't wanted to intervene until he noticed how persistent the girl was, hence wanting to take it and jest with her. Even after confirming her identity, his lord hadn't even know about her until he had to explain it to him. Yet why did he suddenly want to know about her in seriousness?

"Because," the cloak moved, his handsome and ethereal face revealed in the light, "she may be the one we are looking for."

The servant was shocked, just like his lord earlier. He turned to his lord and realized that gravity of the situation.

In the middle of the busy capital with people hurrying all over, no one noticed the sardonic smile that appeared on the man's face. Nor did they notice the sudden shift in his eyes, going from pitch black to a bloody red...